When the last chapter closed on the 2012 Mat Classic, all it said about Hamilton Noel’s performance was that the Liberty High School senior finished sixth in the 160-pound division at the Class 3A Tournament.

Not a word about his heart, of which he displayed plenty in the Tacoma Dome. Not a comma about his tears, of which there were also a few. Not a period about how he stepped on the mat weakened by an unspecified ailment that made him look almost nothing like the Noel that dominated at Regionals.

At the end, the fact that Mercer Island’s Blake Johnson, the wrestler who won 160-pound state title was the same Noel defeated at the regional finals seven days earlier, seemed to do nothing but add insult to an already injured warrior.

Issaquah High School wrestlers, coaches and team managers howl as they pose for photos after winning the KingCo 4A Tournament team championship Feb. 4. Winning this title with these athletes during wrestling’s 50th anniversary at Issaquah ‘is something I’ll always remember,’ said coach Kirk Hyatt (kneeling second from left).By Greg Farrar

Issaquah High School wrestling coach Kirk Hyatt had a hunch entering this season that his team had championship talent.

The Liberty High School girls basketball team bounced back from two tough losses earlier this week to defeat visiting Mount Si 57-46 Thursday in the Patriots’ final regular-season contest.

Liberty finished third in the KingCo Conference 3A/2A standings with a 10-4 record. The Patriots, 14-6 overall, host Mercer Island at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 in the opening round of the league tournament.

The Patriots, who lost to co-leaders Lake Washington and Juanita earlier in the week, shot to a 17-12 first-quarter lead against Mount Si and never looked back. Liberty held a commanding 27-17 halftime lead on Senior Night.

Almen Thorpe, Issaquah High School senior, has Dalton Mann of Woodinville in trouble on the way to a pin in his 132-pound match Jan. 11 on 50th anniversary Alumni Night. Thorpe also won matches by pin last week against Garfield and Bothell. By Greg Farrar

The Issaquah High School wrestling program, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, gave its alumni plenty to cheer about last week. The Eagles won four matches and placed third in the Jack Reynolds Invitational.

The Issaquah High School wrestling program, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, gave its alumni a lot to cheer about Jan. 11 when the Eagles defeated two visiting teams in KingCo Conference 4A action.

In the Woodinville match, Spencer Tickman (106), Thorpe, Taylor Evans (152), Andrew Ramirez (170) and Matt Solusod (220) registered pins for the Eagles. Tonnemaker won his match by a technical fall and Helgeson won with a major decision.

Point guard Brian Watson, often overshadowed by his high-scoring teammate Nick Price, had his best game of the season Jan. 10 when the Issaquah High School boys basketball team whipped visiting Bothell 79-68 in a Kingco Conference 4A contest.

Watson scored 19 points, which included hitting 3 of 3 3-point field goal shots and going 4-for-4 at the free throw line. He also had three assists, three steals and six rebounds to pretty much fill out the stat sheet.

Price, Issaquah’s leading scorer on the season, led the Eagles with 23 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and had two assists. Fletcher Martin added 15 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Issaquah.